John Taylor and Aftab Pirbhai have been appointed as Chair and Treasurer respectively, following an open recruitment process.
John joins us after retiring from a career in the law, although he still serves as a coroner. He has experience of mediation, having worked as a civil mediator, but recognises the distinctive nature of family mediation, and is looking forward to taking on the challenges that the role of Chair of the FMC will present.
Aftab joins the board as the organisation’s first honorary Treasurer, following a career in finance. Aftab has experience of working for a not-for-profit organisation and is keen to use his skills to ensure the FMC’s resources are put to best use.
The new team is completed by the introduction of Helen Anthony as Executive Officer, who started work on 1 April. Helen has considerable experience of policy development in the field of dispute resolution, and has worked in the diverse areas of family, personal injury and defamation law. She has worked with the FMC previously, project managing the introduction of the standards framework.
The appointment of a new Chair follows the retirement of Hugh England, the FMC’s inaugural Chair, after several years in the post, and Helen’s follows the departure of Sarah Lloyd as Executive Director. Of Sarah’s departure, Hugh says: “Sarah gave much time and effort to her roles, and the FMC board is grateful for all the work she has done. We wish her much success in all her future endeavours.” Hugh also welcomed the new directors to their posts, saying: “I am confident that I leave the FMC in good hands, and that John and Aftab’s appointments will add to the strong structure already in place.”
John Taylor says: “Hugh’s enormous contribution to the FMC can be seen in the significant amount of work that has been carried out over the past years, and the FMC board is extremely grateful for his efforts. I look forward to continuing his good work, to representing the FMC, and to working for the benefit of those who may need family mediation services in the future.”
